From some casual reading, it seems the Reign of Terror began when the Jacobins crushed/overthrew/destroyed/otherwise got rid off the Girondins. But could the conflict have reasonably gone the other way, with the Jacobins the losing side? Considering that Robespierre was an extremist by the standards of the extremist Jacobins, I can't help thinking this would have the aftermath of the Revolution considerably less bloody. Perhaps France retains a less-powerful aristocracy?